


our orbits intertwined

by kiddevil



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Ahsoka - E. K. Johnston, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (but there's snips & skyguy flashbacks bc I'm a sap 😭), F/F, Force Bond (Star Wars), Found Family, Imperial Era, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), More tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26271775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiddevil/pseuds/kiddevil
Summary: After leaving the Jedi Order, Ahsoka had accepted the fact that she would probably never have an apprentice of her own; when the Empire rose, it became nothing but a distant dream. She's alone, something she was never meant to be — but she gets used to it.Then, five years after leaving Raada, she gets a call from some old allies in need of help.(aka Ahsoka takes Hedala Fardi as her Padawan)
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Hedala Fardi & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	our orbits intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> this is so self-indulgent lmao, but hope u all enjoy it! <3
> 
> If you haven't read the Ahsoka novel: READ THE AHSOKA NOVEL! but if u aren't able to or need a recap, here's the background info you need for this fic: During the first year after Order 66, Ahsoka laid low and worked as a mechanic for the Fardis, a big family living on Thabeska. While she was there, she discovered that their youngest child, 4-year-old Hedala, was Force sensitive. Ahsoka left the Fardis but advised Hedala's family to keep her hidden from the Empire.
> 
> This story starts 5 years after the novel's events (13 BBY), so Hedala is 9 and Ahsoka is 23

At nine years old, Hedala is just as bright and intuitive as she was when Ahsoka met her at four. She already has the sharp instincts of a Jedi before she starts training with the Force, though she didn’t even know the word till Ahsoka explained it to her. 

It had been a surprise when Bail contacted her for a more personal mission, and even more so when he mentioned the Fardis by name. Ahsoka had thought of Hedala over the years, of course, but only to wonder how she was doing and hope she was safe; to seek her out would only bring the whole family more trouble. 

As it turned out, the Fardis’ involvement with the Rebellion had only grown with the Empire’s oppression. They used their business as a direct cover to smuggle fugitives to Thabeska in the Outer Rim, and from there into established “safe zones” in Wild Space. They were invaluable to the Rebellion and had helped many personal friends of Bail Organa himself. 

Hedala’s older sister, Chenna, hadn’t hesitated to remind Ahsoka of all that as she handed Hedala off. “Hedala’s been sensing danger for the past few months, and it’s getting stronger.” Chenna said. “And Hedala’s never wrong.”

“Does it feel like before, little one?” Ahsoka asked Hedala, crouching down to the nine-year-old’s eye level. “When you sensed the shadow, the last time I was on Thabeska?”

Hedala nodded. “It’s even darker than that, this time.”

“The Fardis have done much for your Rebellion over the years,” Chenna said, her voice hard. “Now please. Repay the favor by saving my sister.”

Ahsoka was worried that taking Hedala with her would only draw the girl into more danger. Ahsoka was a Rebel agent — worse, she was a Force-wielder and a former Jedi. But the Fardis were out of options. How could she say no? 

So Ahsoka agreed to keep Hedala safe till the “shadow” disappeared. More than that, she agreed to teach the child in the ways of the Force — just the basics, just enough to protect herself. Mental shielding. More advanced techniques to track down and avoid threats. How to reach into minds and reveal hidden intentions. 

Precocious Hedala picks up on the basic skills faster than Ahsoka can put them down. She’s a quiet but inquisitive child, and she wants to know about more than just survival. She asks more questions about the Jedi every day and probes Ahsoka for stories. She even starts asking for a lightsaber of her own (which Ahsoka quickly shuts down. Even initiates in the Temple didn’t get their own crystals till they were at least eleven). 

If Ahsoka had stayed with the Order, if the Empire had never risen — both she and Hedala could have had a better life. Hedala could have been a clever, talented Padawan to some Jedi, maybe even to Ahsoka herself. If things were different

_If, if, if._ Ahsoka knows from experience that she'll drive herself crazy thinking about it. The sooner she teaches Hedala to handle the Force, the sooner the child will be away from her and out of harm's way. 

* * *

They travel a lot. Perhaps five years as a Rebel under Imperial rule has made Ahsoka paranoid; perhaps it has made her sharper. Either way, she never risks staying in one place for too long. Luckily, Hedala’s curiosity applies to more than just the Force. She’s enamored by the galaxy, having never travelled outside the Thabeska system, where the planets are mostly dust, rock, and desert. She peers with unbridled awe at the jungles and oceans and wide grassy plains. 

Her most frequent fascination is with animals, especially any that she can fit in the palm of her hand. Too often Ahsoka has to make her empty her pockets of snails or small lizards before coming back onto the ship. One time she fits an entire Klatooine paddy frog in the folds of her cloak. Ahsoka is mildly impressed. 

This time, she sheepishly shoves her fistful of worms back into the Kashyyyk dirt. Ahsoka watches her, bemused. “You weren’t planning to eat those, were you?”

“What? Ew!”

Ahsoka suppresses a smile. “My Master used to eat bugs when we were out in the field. He swallowed them whole while they were still alive.”

“You’re making that up!” Hedala gasps, sticking her tongue out in disgust. Still, her eyes are wide, the way they always are when Ahsoka talks about her time as a Jedi. 

"I used to think that all humans ate bugs like that," Ahsoka says, no longer bothering to hide her grin. Her sharp canines glint as she speaks. "Togrutas have different diets, so it didn't seem that strange to me. It wasn't until both Master Kenobi and Kix yelled at Anakin that I realized my Master was very strange sometimes. Even for a human."

Hedala looks back at the worms wriggling at her feet. An expression of pity crosses over her face, and she leans down to scoop dirt over their writhing bodies as if in apology. "Did he stop after he got yelled at?"

"Not Anakin." Ahsoka’s voice came out both fond and exasperated. "I think being told to stop doing something only encouraged him, most of the time.”

Hedala giggles. "He would have made a good Rebel then. Like you."

“I think you’re right.” For some reason, the usual sadness that comes with saying Anakin’s name is a little lighter this time.

* * *

Four months after Ahsoka became Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, her Master had taken her to see her first podrace. They were on Ankhural tracking down Umbaran spies, anyway; her Master had insisted on taking her to the planet’s famous track before they left.

“I can’t believe you’re fourteen and you’ve never seen a podrace before,” Anakin complained. They were sitting in the stands, and Anakin was drinking fizzpop and eating fries out of a paper cone. Ahsoka had wolfed down her own burger a minute after buying it. After going from Temple food to war rations, she never wasted time eating anything different. 

Suddenly, Anakin elbowed her sharply in the side. Ahsoka turned to complain, because _owch_ , and saw him pointing up at the giant holoscreen over the track. Their faces were projected in bright blue: Anakin’s mouth stained purple with fizzpop, Ahsoka’s too-large cloak bunched over her shoulders, crumbs dotting both their chins. They didn’t look much like Jedi Knights, Ahsoka thought. They could be any two teenagers spending a weekend together, doing dumb teenager stuff.

“Smile, Snips!” Anakin said, elbowing her _again_.

Just to be contrary, she pulled a face instead — crossed her eyes, stuck out her tongue, held the ends of her head-tails under her nose like a mustache. On the holoscreen, she saw Anakin’s grin widen. 

The screen switched to an advertisement for some reality show, and Ahsoka turned accusingly. “We probably shouldn’t have done that. What if someone recognized you? 

“Who, me?” Anakin slurped his drink, still grinning stupidly around his straw.

“Yes, _you_ , Mr. Hero With No Fear. We’re supposed to be on a mission right now, you know.” She wagged a finger in Anakin's face, quickly using the motion to sneak some of his food. 

“Don’t stress so much,” Anakin said. His eyes narrowed when he saw Ahsoka chewing, her mouth full of stolen fries. _Busted._ “This is important training. Cultural studies, or whatever. _Everybody_ knows podracing.”

Ahsoka was pretty sure that was categorically untrue. Still, she leaned forward to watch the racers get into their starting positions with some interest. She couldn’t deny that she was intrigued, even though the way Anakin described the rules made it sound totally barbaric. But—

“We should be doing actual training. Or something,” Ahsoka said. She felt guilty, nervous, on edge. There was a war going on, and they were fighting in it. 

“Hey, when you have your own Padawan, you can decide what’s a waste of time.” Anakin slung an arm over her shoulders. “Now relax and have fun. That’s an order.”

His voice was joking, but Ahsoka straightened up in her seat anyway. “If you say so, Skyguy.”

* * *

The first time Ahsoka realizes she has a new Force-bond is when it flares to life in the middle of the night. She leaps out of bed, sensing Hedala’s fear as strongly as if it is her own. She doesn’t have time to feel conflicted about the bond (the bond she shared with Anakin is still severed, dangling in the Force like a broken thread; the quieter connection she had with Master Kenobi is gone as if it never existed. 

The one she accidentally formed with Rex on the Venator, in a moment of desperation, exists as a thin lifeline between them that only tells her he is still alive. It’s a comfort nonetheless.)

She rushes to Hedala’s room and finds her sitting in bed, upright and sobbing but physically unharmed. A nightmare. Ahsoka sits on the bed’s edge and puts her arms around the girl’s shoulders, rocking her gently. “Hush now, it’s alright. You’re safe.” 

Eventually Hedala calms down long enough to sniff and say, “I dreamed about my family.” She wipes her eyes and continues: “I don’t remember much, really. I think it was actually a good dream. We were all happy and safe, and we watched the sunset together on Thabeska. But then I woke up, and I was sad because it wasn’t real.”

“You’re homesick.” Ahsoka thumbs the tears from Hedala’s nose and cheeks. “You’ll be able to go back soon, Hedala. Just concentrate on training, and as soon as it’s safe, you can go home.”

Hedala looks conflicted. “But _home_ isn’t like my dream either.”

“What do you mean?” Ahsoka frowns. The Fardis are a close-knit family, and she knows they all care deeply for each other. 

“Because of the Empire,” Hedala explains. “Things are dangerous now. Everyone is scared, and even when we’re together, it feels like we’re alone. And there are lots of people suffering, and we can’t do enough to help them.” 

That kind of hopelessness plagues Ahsoka’s thoughts every day, no matter how many Fulcrum operations or mercy missions she pulls. Her chest feels tight; it’s far too heavy a burden for a nine-year-old girl, Force-sensitive or not. She pulls Hedala into another hug, holding her tightly. 

“It will be alright, little one,” Ahsoka wills her words to be true, even though she knows Hedala is right. Until the Empire is gone, the galaxy will never truly be safe. No amount of mental shielding can protect Hedala from that reality. 

And Hedala is too smart for false platitudes to soothe her. Instead, Ahsoka remembers what Anakin had done for her on bad nights. There was a song he used to sing to her, chasing away the nightmares that plagued her after a harsh battle. She and Rex had been so bewildered the first time he had done it, when the three of them were sharing a tent during a long campaign. 

_What, you two have never heard of a lullaby before?_ Anakin had said, laughing. He had promptly stopped when she and Rex both looked back at him with blank faces. To a child soldier and a clone of Kamino, lullabies were a foreign concept. After that, Anakin had almost made a point of singing them to sleep when he had the chance. 

_My mother taught me this song,_ he told Ahsoka, one of the rare times he had volunteered information about his past. He was sitting on her bed, stroking her lekku with his gloved hand, the night after she returned from Wasskah. Anakin’s voice drowned out the Trandoshan threats and shrieks that seemed to echo endlessly in her head, his familiar presence promising safety.

The melody is an ingrained memory, and Ahsoka hums it softly without thought. After a few moments, Hedala is fast asleep. Ahsoka stays awake, humming to herself. She wishes achingly that she could remember the words.

* * *

Hedala has been with her for six months when Ahsoka gets a distress call she can’t ignore. It’s not the Fulcrum frequency that normally only Bail contacts, but a direct line she had given to some Rebel cell leaders she knows personally. 

When she answers the call, Enfys Nest appears on the holoprojector in her full battle ensemble, helmet and all. She tells Ahsoka how Imperials had caught the Cloud-Riders by surprise, wiping out half her crew and taking the rest prisoners. She only has a few people left on her side and needs help to free the rest.

Ahsoka runs her hands over her lightsabers, looking over at where Hedala is peering curiously through the doorway. 

Enfys takes off her helmet. “Please,” she says, and Ahsoka can see the desperation in her friend’s eyes. 

_When you find people who need your help, you help them, no matter what. I guess it's just who I am._

She can’t say no.

“Hedala,” Ahsoka crouches down in front of the child after ending the call. “We’re going somewhere dangerous, and I need to make sure you’ll be safe. 

Before she can second-guess the decision, she unclips the shoto lightsaber from her belt. Hedala holds it reverently. In her small hands, the shorter blade is the perfect length. 

“This is only for emergencies, understand?” Ahsoka says, sternly. “You’re going to stay on the ship and out of danger, but I’m getting involved in Empire business and I don’t know what will happen when I’m gone. Use it to protect yourself, okay?”

Hedala nods solemnly. Ahsoka only has time to teach her proper safety precautions before they’re out of hyperspace and she has to rush off. 

The mission is difficult but thankfully quick; breaking into and out of prisons is something like Ahsoka’s speciality. She returns to the ship to find Hedala practicing lightsaber techniques using her old training holos. The girl has already figured out the first two combat forms when Ahsoka finds her, and she smiles sheepishly.

Ahsoka sighs, kneeling down once again. She reaches forward to take the lightsaber from Hedala’s hand — and turns it over in her palm, adjusting the grip. “You want to keep your thumb higher, little one. This will make it easier to block blaster fire in a pinch.”

Hedala’s dark eyes are wide and shining. “Does this mean I can keep training?”

“It might be a good idea for you to learn the basics. _For emergencies_ ,” Ahsoka says. She tries to sound stern, but Hedala’s elation is infectious. She ruffles the girl’s hair. “Now run through that form again. Keep your grip steady this time.” 

* * *

Like with everything else, Hedala picks up on lightsaber training fast. It’s enough that Ahsoka feels a little better about resuming Fulcrum missions. She never brings Hedala into direct danger, of course; the girl has just turned ten and isn’t ready for anything close to that, no matter how skilled. The most involvement Hedala has with Rebel work is keeping lookout from a very, very far distance. 

Still, she can only make do with Ahsoka’s shoto saber for so long. They’re doing a flyby through the Arkanis sector when Hedala straightens suddenly in her seat. 

“Do you hear that?” she asks, tilting her head. Ahsoka frowns; her montrals make her hearing much better than Hedala’s, but she can’t hear anything unusual.

“Are you sensing something?” Ahsoka looks at the scanners. She’s on high-alert; Saw Gerrera had warned her about increased Imperial activity in this system.

“It’s like singing... through the Force,” Hedala says. 

Ahsoka knows instantly it must be a kyber crystal. She looks down at the planet they’re passing over. Geonosis. Of course the Force would try to draw them to a planet that’s only ever brought her bad luck. It’s incredible that Hedala can sense anything from this distance, but the call of a kyber crystal is strong and impatient. 

She looks over at Hedala, who looks back at her pleadingly. 

“First sign of danger, and we’re gone,” Ahsoka says. They descend towards the planet.

There’s Imperial activity on the surface, but luckily Geonosis’ rings make a stealthy entrance much easier. Ahsoka steers clear, following Hedala’s directions away from what looks like a massive construction project. She makes a mental note to pass on the information to Gerrera.

Hedala’s song leads them to an abandoned factory. The place is dilapidated and dreary, and Ahsoka stays close on Hedala’s heels as the girl runs eagerly under broken-down conveyor belts and rusted vats. What was even built here? It looks like a complete death trap.

Without warning, Hedala reaches forward and pulls with the Force. Something flies into her hand from the darkened depths of the factory: a lightsaber — or rather, half of one. It had been cut cleanly down the middle. Ahsoka quickly takes it from her, afraid the exposed wires might hurt the girl’s bare hands. On closer inspection, she sees that the metal has rusted over; it must have been lying here for years. 

“You called it to you?” Ahsoka asks, looking up.

“It called me _first_ ,” Hedala answers, suddenly petulant. “Where did it come from?” She watches eagerly as Ahsoka dismantles the pieces with the Force, revealing the kyber crystal inside. 

“The First Battle of Geonosis was what started the Clone Wars, just before I became a Padawan,” Ahsoka recalls. “A lot of Jedi fought here. I guess somehow half a lightsaber got left behind.” 

She places the crystal in Hedala’s eager hands. For a moment she feels a pang of regret, knowing that Hedala won't be able to go through the sacred rites of passage on Ilum. But Hedala has faced more challenges from a galaxy that condemns her than the Jedi younglings had in their Temple’s safe halls. She has earned a lightsaber through her own trials. 

“It’s really mine?” Hedala asks, awed. She puts it up to her ear as if listening to a conch shell.

Ahsoka smiles at the sight. “The Force led you here. Who am I to argue with it?”

Back on the ship, Ahsoka digs out an old box of spare parts and finds enough weathered pieces to help Hedala cobble a lightsaber around the crystal. When it's done, Hedala spins the hilt in her hand, the way she had watched Ahsoka do so many times before, and ignites the blade. It burns with the bright orange of a thousand Thabeskan sunsets.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments, I would love to talk about this AU with anyone interested 🥺 I'm also on tumblr @padawahsoka (main blog @lesbianspoiler)
> 
> (in case it isn't obvious, the broken lightsaber Hedala finds is the one Anakin lost in AOTC haha)


End file.
